Friday, August 21, 2020

Windsurfing 3rd Ave

With the end of summer in sight, I would like to enjoy a few more windsurfing sessions. When iwindsurf.com forecasted favorable winds at Coyote Point, I decided to try windsurfing for the 12th time in the season.

When I arrived at Coyote Point, I saw signs that the Coyote Point Park was closed. Although disappointed, I decided to try my luck at the nearby 3rd Ave in Foster City (Baywinds Park). 


Arriving at Baywinds 10 minutes later, I was shocked at how busy it was. It seemed that every windsurfer and kiteboarder was there! I parked my Sienna minivan near the rigging area and took out my 2018 Fanatic Freewave STB 105 board. I was slightly unsure about the wind, so I rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail.

I saw rigged sails ranging from 3.7m to 5.0m, and I thought I fit correctly. After parking my Toyota Sienna far away, I returned to my setup sailing for the first time. The launch was quite busy, with many windsurfers getting in and out of the water. Once in the water, I water-started and sailed into the channel. 

At first, the wind was not very strong, a bit gusty, and I managed pretty well. However, as I sailed further out, the wind intensity increased dramatically. I was getting quite overpowered on my 5.0m sail. I drifted back to the shore and rested a bit.

I decided to try again. This time, the wind was even stronger in the channel, with large breaking swells. I was getting huge jumps on my board and was sailing out of control at maximum speed. 


It was so much fun but also so exhausting. After a few sessions, I was utterly depleted of my reserves and returned to shore. Sailing back was relatively easy, though I was sailing fast on a broad reach.

I should have used a smaller sail - perhaps a 4.5m would have been better. It was a great day, and I hope to return to 3rd Ave again.




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